Barrow Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

About Barrow Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Barrow Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School sits within the Suffolk local authority, a mixed primary for children aged 4 to 11. In the West Suffolk area, it ranks 25th out of 44 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half locally. The top-performing peers in the same authority include Stratford St Mary Primary School, Somerleyton Primary School, and Wenhaston Primary School, all of which score higher on the ranking metric. Across the whole of Suffolk, Barrow ranks 109th out of 253 primary schools, and nationally it sits at 7,789th out of 13,686. The school is Church of England in character and is led by headteacher Helen Ashe. It currently has 207 pupils on roll, very close to its capacity of 210, and 10.6 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 67 applications for 30 places and all 30 first-preference offers taken up, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.23.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2024, the school was judged Good overall, though the overall effectiveness was not formally graded. The inspection found Outstanding in early years provision, personal development, and behaviour and attitudes, while quality of education and leadership and management were rated Good. This is a notable shift from the previous inspection in 2011, when the school was rated Outstanding across all areas. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 60 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, slightly above the Suffolk local authority average of 58 per cent. Reading and writing both saw 77 per cent of pupils reach the expected standard, while maths stood at 60 per cent. The average reading score was 105 and the average maths score was 102. However, only 13 per cent of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects, and progress scores were not available for any subject.

The school offers a range of facilities including an art studio, ICT suite, library, gymnasium, dining hall and a chapel. Sports provision includes football, gymnastics, dance, rounders, cross country and cricket, and there are clubs such as art, science, coding, chess and choir. For pupils with special educational needs, the school supports social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 74 parents between September 2024 and September 2025 were overwhelmingly positive: 92 per cent would recommend the school, and 82 per cent strongly agreed that their child is happy there. Strong agreement was also high for safety (85 per cent), behaviour (80 per cent), and the range of subjects and clubs (86 and 88 per cent respectively). This school suits families who value a Church of England primary with strong pastoral care, good behaviour standards, and a wide range of extracurricular activities, but who are realistic about its mid-table academic ranking within Suffolk.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Barrow Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents